Clinton and Giuliani Most-Lampooned Candidates: But Is That a Bad Thing?

It may be the ultimate test of that old maxim that any publicity is good publicity.

A new study by the Center for Media and Public Affairs found Hillary Clinton and Rudolph Giuliani were the biggest Democratic and Republican targets of late-night comedians in most of 2007, respectively. Clinton has endured 186 jokes this year (all her other Democratic opoonents got a total 197 jokes), while Giuliani for 72 barbs.

But I think you have to wonder whether this exposure is bad as it seems. Jokes equal top-of-mind recognition. And when you have so many condidates in the most contested primaries in recent memory, maybe even a good jab from Leno or letterman is better than no attention at all.

Here's the rest of the CMPA release:

MAJOR FINDINGS

Hillary Clinton has been the butt of 186 jokes by TV comedians this year, nearly as many as all her Democratic opponents, who combined for 197. Running a distant second in the humor race was Barack Obama with 56, followed by John Edwards (43), Dennis Kucinich (34), and Joe Biden (26).

The jokes about Ms. Clinton focused heavily on her physical appearance, including her taste in clothes (29 jokes), her alleged lack of emotional warmth (43 jokes), and her marital problems (21 jokes). Among the other candidates only John Edwards attracted frequent jokes about physical appearance, often about his hair. (See below for sample Hillary Clinton jokes.)

Only "Daily Show" host Jon Stewart targeted any other Democratic candidate more often than Hillary – he told 27 jokes about Sen. Obama vs.25 about Sen. Clinton. But there was more variety in the choice of Republican targets: Leno zinged Giuliani most often (37 jokes), Letterman focused mainly on Romney (18), McCain led Jon Stewart’s list (25), and Colbert zapped Huckabee most (14).

But the presidential candidates have had plenty of competition from other newsmakers this year; only Ms. Clinton and Mr. Giuliani were among the ten most frequently joked-about public figures. The top ten targets of the TV jokemeisters were topped by George Bush with 826 jokes, followed by Paris Hilton (258), Dick Cheney (197), Hillary Clinton (186), Bill Clinton (142), Larry Craig (116), Alberto Gonzales (103), O.J. Simpson (87), Al Gore (84) and Rudy Giuliani (72).

About the blog

The Feed is your source for television news, reviews and commentary. A group of Tampa Bay Times writers will blog about everything from their current TV obsessions to the changing TV/media landscape (binge-watching galore!). Let's all geek out over our favorite shows together.

As a wee TV fanatic, Times pop music critic Sean Daly first learned to tell time via Lee Majors classic "The Six Million Dollar Man." On family trips, instead of asking "Are we there yet?" he would inquire of his parents: "How many more Six's?" Thus, the concept of an hour. Adorable, right? Not nearly as cute: An adult Sean wears a Tigers hat not to support Detroit but because Tom Selleck wore one on "Magnum, P.I." It's sad really.

Michelle Stark is a Times writer, editor, designer and unabashed TV nerd. Her millennial TV-watching habits rely on Netflix, Hulu and Amazon instead of traditional cable, but she never misses her favorite shows, which include everything from Girls, Parenthood and New Girl to high-minded dramas like Mad Men and Homeland. She never met a reality dance show competition she didn’t like.

Sharon Kennedy Wynne is a Times writer and editor part of that first generation of toddlers raised on Sesame Street. Her TV tastes are eclectic. She's still a big fan of Sesame Street, but also darker fare like American Horror Story and Scandal. As our resident reality TV fan (though she's ashamed to admit it), she has complex theories on Survivor, Amazing Race and Big Brother strategies.